Is email prospecting real, or just a comfortable fantasy? In this sales topics conversation, Ed Marsh and Derek Baer of Kurlan & Associates argue that the phone is still the most reliable way to start a B2B sales conversation. They also cover five topics every sales leader should be thinking about.

Derek describes a recent test: a BDR sent 3,000 personalized video emails using Derek’s own voice. Not one person replied. Derek says he has never booked a meeting from a cold email. His point is that a human voice is hard to ignore and an email is easy to delete. He also explains why phone technique matters so much, and why a 22-year-old reading a script to a Fortune 100 executive makes people conclude that “the phones don’t work.”

In this episode:

• How hard should salespeople work? Derek’s view is “whatever it takes,” with a practical limit before burnout. He also talks about the heavy lift of the first six months in a new role. Ed tells the story of a 24-year Army special operations veteran who became the top BDR on his team within a quarter.
• Intrinsic vs. extrinsic motivation. Not every rep is coin-operated. Ed and Derek discuss why intrinsically motivated reps may sandbag once they hit quota, and what that means for comp plans and accelerators.
• Should managers know reps’ personal financial goals? Why that conversation is about motivation, not intrusion.
• Comp during the ramp. In long sales cycles, they suggest rewarding things a new rep can control in the first 90 days: meetings, conversations, and real opportunities with real decision makers.
• Email prospecting vs. the phone. Derek’s multi-touch sequence: a LinkedIn connection request before the first call, short voicemails, brief “call me back” emails, and about 12 touches with the spacing getting tighter over time. Plus a case for weekend calls to hard-to-reach executives.
• Pipeline hygiene. How long a deal can sit with no activity before it’s dead, why stale deals inflate forecasts, and how “no decision” (The JOLT Effect) kills 40 to 60 percent of deals.
• Closing thought: Be patient, and be kind, including to yourself.

Key takeaway:
“If you want to make more money, work harder. Make the calls. Do the work.”

Mentioned in this episode:

• The JOLT Effect by Matthew Dixon and Ted McKenna
• Baseline Selling by Dave Kurlan

Connect with Derek Baer:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/derek-baer-68a234b9/

Connect with Ed Marsh:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/edwardbmarsh/
• Ed Marsh Consulting: https://www.edmarshconsulting.com/
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@EdMarsh
• X/Twitter: https://x.com/edbmarsh

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